America's Most-Searched Skincare Ingredients, Ranked

Methodology

Data source: Google search volume and interest data via DataForSEO API. DataForSEO accesses Google's data infrastructure using the same methodology as Google Trends.

Update frequency: State-level data is updated as new data periods become available. National volume data is updated as new annual periods become available. The data on this page was last pulled on April 13, 2026.

Ingredient selection: Okoaskin selected 13 ingredients that are commonly discussed in skincare media and consumer education. This is not an exhaustive list. Ingredients such as ceramides, glycolic acid, squalane, and others were not included. The ranking reflects only the ingredients analyzed.

National rankings (13 ingredients): Okoaskin retrieved monthly search volume estimates for 13 [ingredient] skincare keyword pairs (e.g., peptides skincare, retinol skincare) from August 2020 through February 2026.

Adding skincare to each ingredient isolates skincare-specific intent and excludes unrelated queries (e.g., peptides for fitness supplements). All volumes represent estimated US monthly searches.

2026 figures reflect January-February 2026 averages only and may not represent full-year trends.

*Sunscreen is a product category rather than a single ingredient, but was included because sunscreen skincare is a common consumer search term.

State-level analysis (5 ingredients): Okoaskin retrieved relative search interest scores for five product-specific keywords: retinol serum, hyaluronic acid serum, peptide serum, vitamin C serum, niacinamide serum.

Data covers all 50 states and Washington DC for the 12 months ending April 2026. All five keywords use the [ingredient] serum format to ensure a consistent, like-for-like comparison. All five keywords were retrieved in a single query to ensure scores are comparable across ingredients within the same pull.

Scores are population-normalized by Google, ranging from 0 to 100, where 100 represents the highest proportional search interest in any state for that keyword.

Limitations:

• Search volume data reflects what people search for, not what they buy.
• Search volume estimates are provided by DataForSEO based on Google data. These are modeled estimates, not exact counts.
• State-level data uses relative interest scores, not absolute search volumes. Wyoming scoring 100 for peptide serum does not mean Wyoming has more total searches than New York. It means Wyoming residents search at a higher rate per capita. Smaller states may show more volatile scores due to lower absolute search volumes.
• Not all states returned data for all five ingredients. States with missing data points had insufficient volume for that keyword. A state's #1 ingredient is determined from available data only.
• The national rankings and state-level analysis use different keyword formats ([ingredient] skincare vs [ingredient] serum) and different metrics (raw volume vs relative interest scores). They should be treated as two separate analyses.
• The 2026 national data includes only January and February, and may not be representative of the full year.
• This analysis covers Google search data only and does not include searches on Amazon, TikTok, YouTube, or other platforms.
• This study shows what Americans search for, not why. Okoaskin did not investigate causal factors behind any trends.

Data availability: The full dataset is published as a spreadsheet with the method, the raw figures and the state-level scores: download the workbook.